It is not uncommon that the owner or operator of a motor vehicle lock the doors of the motor vehicle for example with the key left in the ignition switch. This leaves the owner or operator with the problem of opening the vehicle without damaging it. Professional motorist assistance services exist and may be brought in to solve the problem, but this may cause an objectionable delay and may incur costs.
In past years owners have resorted to attempting to manually open doors if a vehicle window has been left slightly open, or by maneuvering a wire tool past the weather gasket of the door. A wire tool may be fashioned from commonly available materials such as coat hangers for example. However, in an effort to dissuade theft, vehicle manufacturers have attempted to make it more difficult to gain access to the vehicle by such measures. One of the steps many manufacturers have adopted is to eliminate or minimize the enlarged head which in past years characterized door lock buttons.
While access through the window to the door lock button and to the door handle remain among the most practical ways to engage a door lock button, current vehicle manufacturing practice now requires tools more adapted to this purpose than was formerly the case.